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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: drill · saw · calf · kid · plane · club · coach · row

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. drill — the tool
  3. kid — child
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. row — to paddle
  7. club — for dancing
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. saw — the tool
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. row — a line
  13. drill — army training
  14. club — a group
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. plane — a tool
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. kid — to tease
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. club — for golf
  23. drill — a practice
  24. saw — past of 'see'

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com